The President has his seat in Pretoria and Parliament its seat in Cape Town, but where is the seat of power for the people? Over the course of South African history, we have witnessed that a mobilised citizenry is the source of the most potent kind of power, the people’s power. 

The Constitutional Court has 11 chairs for its 11 judges. The Constitution Hill Trust called on the people to submit creative designs for a 12th Chair – a chair for the people, custodians of the Constitution – and they delivered. Of 90 submissions, the judges selected the top six designs. And now it’s up to you to help our judges choose the 12th Chair. Please vote by 22 April 2022.

(Image: Supplied)

A visual representation of this power at Constitution Hill will serve as a symbol of the power that has seen many ordinary people arrive at the doors of the Court to assert and defend their rights. 

The people’s power doesn’t start or end at the Constitutional Court doors. It spans the breadth of South Africa and finds expression beyond the legal realm. It is in our homes, streets, communities, religious halls, sporting fields, workplaces and in every crevice of society. 

In 2021, the Constitution Hill Trust invited all citizens to submit designs for the 12th Chair, which re-imagines and reinvents the aesthetics of power, envisioning a chair in which all people will feel comfortable and empowered. Once the chair is designed, it will find its permanent place at Constitution Hill. And in due time, perhaps travel South Africa and the world as a symbol of the people’s power.

The 12th Chair is for all people regardless of race, class, gender, sexual orientation and ethnicity. It is our seat of power, where we can speak truth to power.

Vote here. DM/MC

Vanessa September is the CEO of The Constitution Hill Trust.